The Washington critic., 1887-10-25
WASHINGTON, OCTOBER 25, 1897
OUT OF THEIR WITS.


Il death that so far from impresslng
the general public with sympathy or
admiration, is calculated rather to
Intensity the feeling that men who can
commit q grave crime against the
peace OF society without the slightest
compunctlon of conscience, are dan
gsrous men to let loose upon the com.
nunity again.
On general principles, the man who
murders his neighbor and glories in the
act, is not fit TO liye-cGrtainly not safe
TO liberatc. The law OF self.preserva.
tion demands that he be placed where
he can indulge his murderous pro.
pensities no further.
So with the Anarchists. They have
shed Innocent blood, yet claim that
they have done no wrong. They In
sist that their conviction is travesty
upon justice, and declare that II the
sentence of the court Is carried into ef.
feet they will die as martyrs. Men
who talk In this way may be sane, but
they are far from sensible. No claim
has yet been made In their behalf that
they are out of their heads.
1t Is now generally conceded that
Guiteau was of unbalanced mind and
that he actually believed he was doing
omebody or something a service by
ssassinating President Garfield, but
August Spies and his associates, who
apparently think that their bloody
work in Chicago will go laundering
down the ages" with the crime of
Gsiteau, as an exploit of heroism,
would scorn TO enter a plea of
lunacy.
That they are men of diseased i'm.
aginations, of perverted education, OF
limited acquaintance with the nature OF
American institutions, goes without
saying, but they are not proper sub.
jects for an Insane asylum.
Even though they should go to the
sallows, with the fortitude of the old
Christian bishops, singing their own
praises, 1t would make no difference
with the unalterable fact that they de.
]iberately concocted deadly con-
spiracy against the laws and liberties
of the Government under which they
lived and In defiance OF which they
died.
The Chicago NewS says In regard to
their case:
II the Anarchist verdict had been impris
eminent for life public expectation would
have been satisfied, for the ends of justice
hay hop
expressed sentiment would approve di-posi-
tion of the case which would send the gravest
Of the offenders to Joliet for HE and the least
guilty for term of years. But what can be
done for men who are dehant unrepentant,
dogged and determined IL chance offer again
to live over the career which seized oppor-
tunity to foment disturbance and urged such
assassination as reddened the pavements
with the blood of defenders of law and ORDER
1t is here that they make their prob
ably fatal mistake--a mistake that will
be almost unaccountable If they die In
the same obstinate frame of mind, re.
senting sympathy as an insult refusing
10 sue for pardon lest the suit involve 0
confession of guilt. and steadily main
tanning that in causing the death o.
eight sworn guardians OF the law they
entitled themselves to the plaudits o.
the country rather than to the condem
nation Of its courts.
For all this faulty they have righ
TO deliverance II 1t can be shown tina
they have been denied q fair and con
stitutional trial. No man, even by hi
own criminal folly, is barred out o
the Temple Of Justice.
THE Protector is the name of a good
looking newspaper published at Pointe
a.la-Hache, Plaquemines Parish, La.
and one would naturally suppose from
Its title that the Protector is q high
tariff sheet. How much of a tariff
paper It Is may be judged by the legend
printed in big letters across the top Of
the front page: "Protection for oul
Sugar and Rice"-a simple and sug
sestive platform. Louisiana, like every
other State, has Its pet Industries, aud
Louisiana, like every other State, Il
wholly Indifferent as to what becomes
OF the rest Of the tariff, provided IT.
own pet industries are provided
for. 1t will bargain and trade aud
Intrigue and dicker away everything
else In behalf of its home interests. ant
herein is always to be found the grand
obstacle to an equitable revision OF tn
customs duties. Some years ago tn
revenue reformers of Western State
who were perfectly willing to razee tn
schedules in all other particulars
blocked the road to reform by insisting
that their infant glass works and zin
mines be excluded from the razeenl
process. And so II goes all over tn
country. Again are we constrained Il
remark that General Hancock uttere,
wiser than he knew when he remarked
That the tariff was q local Issue.
The action of the Supreme Cour
yesterday indicates that that body |
equally divided in opinion as to TIN
constitutionality Of the State prohibl
tion laws, and that decision Is llkell
to be postponed until new Supreme
Court Justice is appointed. tits, there
fore, probable that 1t will rest with tn
successor of Justice Woods to cast tn
deciding vote as to the constitutional
ity of the prohibition legislation o
Iowa and other States.
THE Exposition at Atlanta over
reached the directors In its magnitude
So rapid and robust was Its growt
that 1t fairly grew out Of their reach
and while more people were inattcnd
ance than ever before on similar oC